Mail-box.



No. 774,218. PATENTBD NOV. 8, 1904 I J. W. WHALEN.

MAIL BOX.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 25, 1902.

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fliiorng x M'inesses U TTnn STATES PATENT Patented November 8, 1904.

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MAIL-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 774,218, dated November 8, 1904, Application filed August 25, 1902. Serial No. 120,889. (No model.)

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Be it known that 1, JOHN WV. TVHALEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mail-Boxes, of which the following is a specification, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation in section of my improved mail-box. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same in section, the section being made on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation in section of a modification of my invention. Fig. 4 is a section of a detail. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the same detail, and Fig. 6 is an elevation of another detail.

The object of my invention is to provide a box in which mail-matter can be deposited by the use of one hand only and which shall at the same time completely safeguard all mailmatter, including that which is being deposited as well as that previously deposited therein.

More particularly, it is my object to provide such a box, having a deposit-slot and a shutter therein adapted to prevent the extraction of the contents of the box even if the shutter is open, of such a form that whenever a person who has opened the shutter to insert a letter removes hishand therefrom the shutter will remain open for a short space of time to give opportunity for the letter to be deposit ed therein and will then automatically close, dumping the letter into the interior of the box; and it is further my object to provide a box which will accomplish this result positively under all conditions of weather and irrespective, in large degree, of the fact that the box may not be set precisely vertical.

Also it is my object to avoid the necessity of locking the shutter in its open position and then relying upon any act of the person depositing mail or any machinery to unlock and release the shutter so that it can close.

I accomplish these objects by the device illustrated in the drawings, which I shall now describe.

Referring to the drawings, in Fig. 1 is seen a box A, which may be of metal or any suitable material, having a slot B toward the top at one side in which is set a shutter G, which may be in form like those commonly in use at the present time. The shutter is pivoted at c at the lower edge of the slot and has an upper or outer portion 0 and an inner portion 0 which when the shutter is opened by rotating the same on its pivot constitutes a shelf on which matter to bemailed may be deposited and which when the shutter is closed falls to a vertical position, thus clumping its contents into the interior of the box. Projecting from the top side of the box is a wall D, situated inside in such position that when the shutter is open and the shelf 0 raised this wall is close to the edge of the shelf 0 thus forming a barrier to prevent access toward the interior of the box beyond the edge of the shutter. Handles 0* are attached to the outer side of the shutter, by depressing which handles a person opens the shutter. A guard-piece c is also provided, so arranged that when the handle is depressed the slot does not open until the shelf 0 has risen as high as the lower edge of the wall D.,

Attached to the wall D is a dash-pot, set vertically close to one end of the box and in an out-of-the-way position, consisting of a cylinder E and a piston F within it. The dash-pot is arranged so that the piston can be raised easily, but will fall only slowly. Preferably I accomplish this by providing a small ventz'in the upper wall of the dash-pot through which air may enter the cylinder slowly, while the piston is provided with valves which permit air to pass readily through the piston when it is being raised, but which close and prevent the passage-of air when the piston is falling, the piston also fitting the walls of the cylinder tightly enough to prevent the ready passage of air between it and the cylinderwalls. This is shown on an enlarged scale in Figs. 4: and 5, in which the piston F isshown equipped with a packing j", which may be of leather or other suitable material and i'sconveniently held in place bya spider f the piston'being also provided with valve-ports G and washer-like valve-lid g, which may be of leather or other flexible material. This is so arranged that when the piston moves in an upward direction the rush of air through the l ports G forces the valve-lid away from the ports, letting the air pass through, while when l the piston is moved in the opposite direction the inside suction and outside pressure of air seat the valve-lid upon the ports, and thus 3 close them. The vent 71 may be constructed by milling out a cleftlongitudinally part way through a screw adapted to fit into the ventl hole, as shown in Fig. 6. By adjusting the screw so that more or less of this cleft projeets to the outside of the cylinder the size of the vent may be readily adjusted. The piston of the dash-pot has a rod H, which is prov vided with a notch K, having two shoulders l or faces it and 71: the purpose and construc- Attached to the portion 0 of the shutter opposite the dash-pot is a lug or finger L, which swings up and down with the shutter. The notch in the dash-pot rod is so situated that when the piston is at the lowest position to which the walls of the dash-pot permit it to fall, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the finger L as it rises, describing an are about the pivotal point 0, will clear the lower edge 75 of i the notch, but will engage the upper edge or l l tion of which will be hereinafter described. l l

face Z." of the notch. This is shown by one of the dotted positions of the part L in Fig. 1. A continuation of the upward motion of the part L, which is now in engagement with the dash-pot rod, raises the piston, forcing out l the air that is in the upper portion of the cylinder through the venti and the valves G. lit i will be noted that the notch K is at the same time raised to the position shown in dotted i lines in Fig. 1 and that when in this position I the finger L cannot swing downward without engaging the side 71: of the notch. hen the piston, which has been raised, is released, it i will be delayed in its descent by the slowness of the rate by which air can get back into the l upper portion of the cylinder. Hence when the part L starts to descend from its uppermost position it engages the lower side of the notch and cannot descend faster than the piston does until the position of the notch K (shown in full lines) is again nearly reached, where the finger L again clears the side Z of the notch and is then free to swing down unimpeded under the influence of gravity.

The operation of my device may now be explained. A person wishing to deposit a letter depresses one of the handles 0" in the ordinary way. This turns the shutter C on its pivot, raising the shelf portion 0" and opening the slot. As the shelf rises the lug L engages the piston-rod H and raises the piston to its uppermost position. The person releases his hold upon the handle and the shutter starts to close, but its lug L immediately engages the under side of the notch in the dash-pot pistonrod and is prevented from falling faster than the dash-pot permits. Thus it results that the shutter closes very slowly. \Vhile it is closing, but before it has fully closed, the person deposits the letter upon the shelf. The shelf 0 continues to swing downward as rapidly as the dash-pot permits until its lug L is clear of the dash-pot, when it falls in the manner usual in boxes at present in use, dumping the letter into the interior of the box. It will thus be seen that after the handle c is released the shutter is bound to close itself without requiring any further act on the part of any person and without requiring any machinery to release it from any locking device. Thus absolute safety is insured. Moreover, the disengagement of the part L from the dash-pot permits the shutter to fall with violence during the latter portion of its swing, and thus forcibly dump its contents.

In mail-boxes it is desirable to have the parts so arranged that their operation is not likely to be interfered with by a great accumulation of mail within the box. For this reason I prefer to place the dash-pot and lug L close to one end of the box, and I have also devised a modification of my invention by which the dash-pot is placed on the bottom of the box and on the side under the shutter, there being in this form no moving parts the operation of which is in the least likely to be interfered with by an accumulation of mail. This modification also has the advantage that i it can be readily applied to the form of boxes now on many city streets. This is shown in Fig. 3. In this arrangement the partL is fixed close to the end of the shelf 0", as before, and a pivotP is set in the end Wall of the box near the upper travel of the part L. A piece M is provided which rotates upon the pivot and which contains the notch K and has an arm on running along close to the end of the box and connecting with the rod of the dash-pot, which is set, as above described, on the bottom of the box in the corner under the shutter. \Vhen the shutter is raised, the part L engages the notch as before and causes it to rotate about the pivot P, thus rotating the arm or lever m and raising the dash-pot rod. It will be noted that in the first described construction the path of the finger L is an arc, while the path of the notch is a straight line secant to the arc, while in the second construction the path of the finger is an arc, and the path of the notch is another are secant to it, thus illustrating a variation which may be made in building boxes embodying the principle of my invention. It will also be noted that in the form shown in Fig. 3 the piston of the dash-pot has a longer travel relative to the travel of the shutter than in Fig. 1. This is a desirable feature in cases where a compressible fluid, such as air, is used in the dash-pot.

It is obvious that the scope of my invention is not limited to the particular form of dash-pot I have here described nor to the particular form of valves or packing. The

form I have shown has the advantage that it is not likely to get out of order and needs little or no attention, and for these reasons I prefer it. It is also obvious that the relative positions of the notch K and the lug L might I be interchanged or some other engaging de- I vice substituted and that many other varia- I tions might be made in manufacturing mail- 1 boxes which would be practically embodiments of my invention, although not conforming precisely to the structure which I have here shown.

I claim 1. The combination with a mail-box provided with a mail-receiving opening, of a shutter normally closing said opening and a dash-pot arranged to engage the shutter and retard the initial movement of the closing thereof.

2. In combinationamail-box provided with a mail-receiving opening, an automaticallyclosing shutter for the opening and a dashpot having its parts normally disengaged from the shutter, but in position to engage a moving part on the shutter when the shutter is opened, and while engaged therewith to retard the initial movement of the closing thereof.

3. In combination a mail-box provided with a mail-receiving opening,- an automaticallyclosing shutter for the opening and a dashpot having a moving part normally held by gravity in line to engage the shutter when the shutter is opened and arranged to retard the initial closing of the shutter until the dash-pot returns to said normal position.

4:. The combination with a mail-box provided with a mail-receiving opening, of a shutter normally closing said opening; a dashpot; and means whereby the dash-pot engages the shutter when the shutter is open, the dash-pot being arranged to retard the initial movement of the closing of the shutter.

5. In a mail-box provided with a mail-receiving opening, the combination of a shutter automatically closing said opening and a dash-pot, one of said parts being provided with a notch and the other with a lug adapted to mesh therein when the shutter is open, the dash-pot being arranged to retard the closing of the shutter.

6. In combinationamail-box provided with a mail-receiving opening, a shutter for the opening, the shutter being hung on a pivot and normally closed by its own weight, a dash-pot having a moving part held in its normal position by gravity, all organized and arranged so that when the shutter is open the dash-pot is in engagement therewith to retard its closing in its initial movement.

7. In a mail-box provided with a mail-receiving opening, a shutter for theopening, the shutter being hung on a pivot and normally closed by its own weight, in combination with a dash-pot having a moving part held in its normal position by gravity, a notch and a lug being provided, one on each part, and adapted mutually to engage when the shutter is open.

8. In combination with a mail-box provided with a mail-receiving opening, of an automatically closing shutter normally closing said opening and a dash-pot arranged to retard the initial movement of the closing of the shutter, said dash-pot and shutter being provided with means whereby the shutter actuates the dashpot when the shutter is open.

9. The combination with a mail-box provided with a mail -receiving opening, of a shutter normally closing said opening, and a dash-pot arrangedto retard the initial movement of the closing of the shutter, said dashpot and shutter being provided with means whereby the shutter actuates the dash-pot when the shutter is open.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 16th day of August, 1902.

JOHN W. WHALEN.

WVitnesses:

EVERETT E. KENT, FRANK. M. CHANDLER. 

